Pulling Pigtails and Making Promises
by jailynn
Summary: WIP- Slight A/U: He liked pushing her buttons, but maybe it was time to stop pulling on her pigtails and show her how he really felt.


**Title:** Pulling Pigtails and Making Promises  
><strong>Author:<strong> Jailynn  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG  
><strong>CoupleFandom:** Sasha/Summer, Make It or Break It  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Not mine. Never will be mine, but I can play with them if I give them right back after I'm done. The important people told me so.  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 4057  
><strong>Status:<strong> WIP  
><strong>Summary: <strong>He liked pushing her buttons, but maybe it was time to stop pulling on her pigtails and show her how he really felt.  
><strong>Warning:<strong> None.  
><strong>AN:** Slight AU. Summer was never with Steve. She's always worked at the Rock. Please forgive any and all mistakes. I really stink at catching them  
><strong>Feedback:<strong> Please and thank you

=[=]=

**Chapter 1:** _Changing Ways_

=[=]=

She was always put together. Everything had a place and that was just the way it was. She didn't have time for fairy tales, for prince charmings, for talking mice or for glass slippers and she really didn't have time for men that were cocky and arrogant. Summer Van Horn _was_ by the book. And that book was the bible. She understood rules. Thou shall not kill- easy. Thou shall not take the Lord's name in vain- got it down pat. Treat others as God would want you to- that was no problem. Getting the commandments down and reading the good book was just right- right for her, right for who she wanted to be.

Nothing could shake her from her path. One step in front of the other. Kneel down and praise. Be thankful for all the blessings she has received. Everything was going the way it should. She had a great job as an assistant to the head coach at the Rocky Mountain Gym (affectionately called the Rock). Her dating life was ...okay. She did date- and they were nice guys- but it didn't consume her life like some of her friends thought it should. (She couldn't count the number of times she's heard, "Summer don't you want someone to spend your life with. Don't you want to find love." The undercurrent of those statements were crystal clear- _Dear you're in your early thirties- it's time to stop looking beyond right now and settle down_.)

Summer tapped her pen against the edge of the folder she was was holding as she watched the gymnasts fly through the air in amazing feats. Her top row of teeth scraped the tender flesh of her bottom lip, pulling the light gloss from it with each nibble. She knew where she was going. She didn't need to waste time. Everything was perfect in her eyes- well maybe not perfect but pretty close.

Until he walked- no walked is too nice a term- until he slam his way- into her life.

Sasha Belov- the blonde, blue-eyed, British bad boy of the Gymnastics world. Cocky. Ego- driven. A complete donkey's rear end. Sure he was sexy, in a completely inappropriate way that made her breathe just a little bit heavier when he walked past, but that one bright spot was swallowed up by his attitude- which was horrible and cold to say the least. He walked around the Rock like he own it- of course, she conceded, he kinda did in some ways. The man was so in love with himself, she wasn't sure he could see anyone else... okay that might have been a little harsh- he did seem to care about the young people he coached. So, she supposed, there was more than one bright spot.

She closed her eyes tightly, bringing the hand with the folder up to pinch the bridge of her nose. Goodness he drove her nuts. She was so much more steady with her last boss. Oh Marty- why did you have to be so foolish as to sleep with one of the gymnasts mother's? One stupid affair and now she was forced to deal with Sasha. This was obviously punishment for something- her wayward teen years perhaps?

Marty Walsh was a handsome man. Strong and dark. Tan skin, rippling muscles, a nice smile. He was kind and generous with each of the young teens he coached. Summer wasn't blind. She knew most of the women had crushes on him. He was charismatic. Even she wasn't completely immune to him or his charms, but she knew there was a line. Bold, black, thick line that should never be crossed.

Her boss- she sighed silently- her ex-boss, crossed that line repeatedly. With Kaylie Cruz's mother, Ronnie. With Alex Cruz's wife- Alex Cruz, the man that had more control over the inner workings of the Rock than he should. Once the affair was found out- by Kaylie no less- the dye was cast and Marty's days were numbered. The scandal was muted by Alex moving quickly to remove his rival from the Rock and replace him with the one male gymnast that beat Marty in competition. The symbolism of that wasn't lost on anyone that knew what really happened- so naturally it wasn't lost on anyone with a pulse in the small community that made up the Rock Gym.

The first day Sasha entered the gym, Summer knew he was going to be trouble- with a capital T-R-O-U-B-L-E. He strolled in wearing faded blue jeans, a gray t-shirt that what looked to have a bleach stain at the bottom, a beat up brown leather jacket and a pair of worn in leather motorcycle boots. His icy blue eyes were sharp, watching, observing. His full lips were pulled in a straight line, making deep indentations in the corners. His lightly tanned skin was flushed from the heat of the summer sun. The air of entitlement, of control, rolled all around him like smoke rolled around a cigarette. He spoke to the girls and guys in clipped phrases. He forced his focus on them, setting rules that made even her- little Miss Rule lover- shiver. Stern was a pretty appropriate title for him. Marty was tough, but compared to Sasha, he was a cream puff.

At the beginning, it was hard for her to deal with the shift. Marty always trusted her to handle the paperwork in the way she saw fit to do so. He knew that no matter how crazy anal her system was, it worked for her and in turned worked for him. Summer never had to wonder or stress out. The color coded filing cabinets and folders were fine by him... Sasha thought she was a lunatic. An opinion he was not at all shy about expressing.

The first week, she nearly quit. He didn't agree with her beliefs. He thought God was a fairy tale invented to make others feel better about doing the right thing. Sasha claimed her office, moving her personal items around. Changing what she had spent years making perfect. He called her at odd hours of the night- one in the morning was not the time to call her if you just wanted the Martin's account file- which was in the M's section of the accounting drawer thank you very much- and didn't apologize for waking her up.

Honestly he didn't apologize for much, if anything at all.

After that first week, Summer typed up her resume, as well as a resignation letter, and slipped it into her top desk drawer. Every time he got to be too much, she would pull it out, fingering the pages, before placing it back and locking the cabinet. She never did turn it in. It was still there. The edges weren't as smooth as they once were, the ink was slightly smudged and there was a stain on the bottom of the last page. But it was ready if she needed it.

She didn't know why she hadn't turned it in yet. They were still prickly around each other, even now six months later. Maybe it was because Summer _had_ seen shades of compassion from Sasha. Often it happened while no one was looking, when one of the girls got a particularly difficult routine down or if someone got hurt. That's when she saw he cared, that this was more than just a job to him. She had seen him encourage Emily Kmetko, a talented young lady that sometimes doubted her worth, to trust herself. All the gymnasts embraced him because he showed them that no matter what he was going to make sure that they got their shot. It was that kindness that forced Summer to admit he wasn't all bad.

"Is that the expense report I asked you about two hours ago," the man in question asked her with thinly veiled annoyance in his voice.

Dropping her eyes from him, she bit her lip hard. That kindness that he showed the young people he worked with rarely made it's way in her direction and if it did it was accompanied by merciless teasing. Swallowing back every retort she had running through her head, she raised her blue eyes back to his and thrust the folder at him. "The very same," even to her, her voice sounded chilly.

His light eyebrows rose up and a smirk settled on his features, "Wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, Miss Van Horn?" His gaze roamed her body quickly. She felt her heart rate quicken and also suddenly felt extremely exposed, even though she was wearing a purple turtle neck shirt, a cream sweater and a modest skirt with black hose. Summer shook back her shoulder length blonde hair, staying perfectly still while he tried to push her buttons. "I could help you with that you know."

"I'd rather wake up alone for the rest of my life than have you anywhere near my bed," she nearly winced at her words, knowing she left the door wide open for a nasty comeback. She hated getting so flustered around him, darn it!

His smirk grew just enough to let her know he knew just how uncomfortable he made her and for her to know how much he enjoyed doing it. Sasha didn't however take the bait that she unconsciously left for him with her statement. Slapping the edge of the folder against his left palm, he nodded, "Thanks for the report, but maybe next time you could have it done when I actually need it."

Her glare made him chuckle and she spun around on her four inch black heel heading back into her office. By the time she was seated at her desk she had thirty or so things she could have said to him to wipe that arrogant smirk off his face. Too bad she can only come up with them while out of his sight and when the moment was completely done with. Summer folded her arms on the desk and dropped her head down on them, letting out a low groan of frustration.

"Well," a friendly female voice came from the doorway, Summer smiled and lifted her head back up. "That doesn't sound good at all."

Kim Keeler, a parent at the Gym with two amazing gymnasts- Payson- a sure fire winner with her eye on the prize and Becca- a plucky, sweet girl with so much spirit- was one of the only true friends Summer had there. She straightened up in her chair as Kim sat in front of her. Kim was confident and smart, completely put together in a way Summer, herself, wished she could be. Her down home kindness made everyone feel at ease. She was trusted, respected, because of her honesty. And she was honest. Sometimes overly honest, but Summer appreciated that. It was nice to know where you stood with people. Her friend eyed her as she picked up one of the many files that were spread across Summer's desk. Kim helped out three days a week with some of the office work while her children trained. And Summer was thankful for that. Kim often acted as a buffer between Sasha and her.

"So what happened," she asked as she looked down at the progress file in her hand for Lauren Tanner, a very strong minded young woman with a sharp tongue to match. "Did Sasha say something to you?"

Summer rolled her eyes, Kim found this whole situation to be very humorous. She was convinced it was some kind of verbal foreplay that would eventually lead to Sasha and her admitting they have some deep seeded feelings for each other. Summer had some choice words for that theory- none of which she would say because it went against all her beliefs.

Raising from her comfortable spinning desk chair, Summer kept her eyes averted from Kim's, "Oh Sasha," she breathed sarcastically, "He was his typical charming self this morning. Spreading sunshine wherever he goes."

Kim let out a low chuckle, "That bad huh?"

"No," she sighed. "Not as bad as it could have been." She opened one of the letters in the pile next to the door where Sasha put the mail the day before. She tried not to get annoyed by that- she had a special basket for unopened mail on the corner of her desk. Summer knew he did things like this to get a rise out of her. Well she wasn't going to bite. Not this time. Glancing over the information contained in the envelope, she continued, "He just likes to push my buttons."

"Of course he does," Kim said in a confident, off-handed way. "You are probably the only single female in this building he hasn't charmed the pants off yet. In some weird way you fascinate him."

The right side of Summer's mouth lifted in amusement, "If there are so many women willing to shed clothes at the very sight of him, why does he bother to mess with my head at all?"

"Do you really need me to answer that?"

"A straight answer would be nice," she nodded firmly. "But I don't expect that answer to come from you, Kim. I know what you think it is. And I couldn't disagree with you more. He isn't interested in me. I'm not his type and I'll never be his type. He's just a- a- a-"

"Ass," Kim supplied with a wicked gleam in her honey eyes.

"Yes!" Summer exclaimed, then slapped her hand over her mouth in embarrassment. "Oh, I didn't mean that."

Kim laughed at her, her cheeks reddening and water filling her eyes from her mirth. "Summer I think God will forgive you for that." Sobering up slightly, her friend tilted her head to the side, "Would you like me to ask him to tone it down a little bit? I'm not sure he would listen to me but I could try."

Shaking her head, she walked back to her seat and sighed. "Sasha would listen to you, or at least attempt to, he respects you, Kim, but this isn't your battle to fight. It's mine." Unlocking the top drawer, she pulled out the papers from it and flicked the bent edges with her index finger nail. "I'll figure out a way."

"By using those," Kim said softly. She was the only person, other than Summer, that knew they existed. "I don't think that's the best way to handle this situation."

"I don't want to," Summer sighed. She did love working at The Rock. Sure Sasha could be a pain, but he wasn't all that horrible. She hated to admit it, but she's worked for worse bosses than him before and didn't relish the idea of returning to that. Sliding the pages back in the drawer, she smiled slightly. "I'm not going to, at least not yet."

"Good," Kim told her in the strongest voice she could. "All joking aside, I do think Sasha would miss you if you ever did leave. I know I would."

Summer grinned at her friend, "I'd miss you too."

=[=]=

Sasha split his focus from the gymnasts on the floor to the two women in the office upstairs. His eyes caught sight of Summer as she moved toward the window, her long blonde hair shining in the florescent lights. She spoke with animation, her beautiful face clearly showing her aggravation as she grabbed a letter from the pile he left next to the door. Her full, glossy lips pulled into a frown at his lack of following the rules. He could almost hear her internal monologue cursing him in her prim way for not placing the unopened mail in the box she had for it.

The thought made him grin. He liked pushing her buttons and watching her flush in anger over his arrogance. It was all a game. One Sasha enjoyed playing a little too much. When he first saw her, he knew everything about her. Summer Van Horn was proper. A church goer that didn't just go, but _believed_ in all the stuff that was written. She never swore. Wouldn't let herself. Her life was structured to a scary degree. He never knew there were so many different colored folders in the world. Everything had a place. Sasha wasn't ashamed to admit he wondered at one point if she might be a little crazy. With her tailored clothes, perfectly matched, and her never out of place hair, he would have called her an ice princess, but he couldn't in good faith do that. She had too much warmth, radiated too much kindness.

A kindness that had not been shown to him. And that amused him. Sasha has always loved seeing how far he could go, with people, in the gymnastics world. It's how he won the gold medal, it's how he chose to live his life. Go one step further. Don't back down. Some hated that part of him, but no one could deny it worked. He tore his eyes from the office and returned his focus to the gym floor. His gaze jumping from Payson to Emily then to the rings where Austin was about to dismount. The young man, already a champion, flew through the air in a perfect twist to land on the mat in front of him. Austin stood still for a moment before lifting his arms over his head with a satisfied smile on his face and a wink for Kaylie, who rolled her eyes at him and walked over to the uneven bars.

Seeing that the gymnasts didn't need him, Sasha started walking up the stairs to the office. He got to the top and heard some of the conversation between Kim and Summer through the open door.

"_If there are so many women willing to shed clothes at the very sight of him, why does he bother to mess with my head at all?"_ Summer asked, her honey smooth voice lit with amusement.

"_Do you really need me to answer that?_" Kim responded in slightly disbelief.

He leaned in closer, knowing without having to be told that they were talking about him. His lips curled in a smile and he turned his body toward the gym floor, as to not appear as he was eavesdropping on their conversation. Even though that was exactly what he was doing.

"_A straight answer would be nice, but I don't expect that answer to come from you, Kim. I know what you think it is. And I couldn't disagree with you more. He isn't interested in me. I'm not his type and I'll never be his type. He's just a- a- a-_" Summer seemed to be struggling with finding the right word to describe him. That made him grin even harder.

"_Ass_," Kim offered to his great enjoyment.

"_Yes!_" Summer confirmed enthusiastically. He peered in and nearly laughed out loud when he watched her slapped her hand over her mouth in shock at her agreement of that word. "_Oh, I didn't mean that_."

Sasha continued to listen in as the two of them talked. His curiosity got peaked when the two women began to talk about Summer leaving. A cold sensation filled him at the thought. He didn't want her to go, he didn't want her thinking about going. She did her job well. The young people liked her and often came to her with questions. The parents trusted her far more than they trusted him, which wasn't a problem for him, he preferred to deal directly with the gymnasts- their parents weren't high on his list. Whatever he had to do to make sure she stayed he would. Even if it meant giving up his game... He nearly sighed at that. Sasha Belov could be charming when he wanted to be and now it appeared he would have to turn that charm on one Summer Van Horn.

He squared his shoulders and walked into the office, catching both women off guard. His eyes landed on Summer's deep blue ones and he smiled slightly at her. Her forehead wrinkled in confusion at his expression. Her cute nose crinkled slightly. He swallowed back any and all remarks about how adorable she looked and how much more adorable she'd look after he kissed her senseless. Something he only admitted to himself recently he wanted to do. A lot. Especially when her cheeks flushed and her eyes flashed or when she smiled and her face lit up. Mentally he shook the thoughts of kissing her from his mind, he could envision what she would look like breathless later, and grabbed a chair from the wall next to the window placing it between the two women, more angled toward Summer.

The beautiful blonde in question shifted a little in her seat as he settled more comfortably in his. He picked up a random file and started to read it, relieved that the one he picked was Kaylie's performance review. From the corner of his eye, Sasha could see Summer glance quickly at Kim, who shrugged her shoulders with a look of confused amusement on her face. He has always liked Kim Keeler. She was smart and hands on with her kids, but also trusted him to do what was best for them. She didn't take any crap from anyone, a quality he admired because he didn't either. She was honest and expected honesty in return.

Purposefully keeping his head down, Sasha reached for a pen on the desk just as Summer did the same. A current, a pop, a bolt bounced up his arm at the brief contact of her fingers against his. He couldn't avert his attention from her any longer. Their blue eyes met. Hers were wide, bright with emotion, emotion he was fairly certain she didn't want to show to anyone, but especially to him. There were waves of feelings colliding together and he was being pulled under. It would have been so easy to just lean in and sample her sweetness- somehow he knew she would taste sweet- like strawberries picked at the height of summer straight from the vine.

Summer shook herself from the trance much quicker than he could, jumping up from her chair, her hands folding together nervously. "I, um, I," she licked her lips and he watched the action. "I need to go to the post office. I'll, uh, I'll be back this afternoon."

She ran from the office as if on fire. Sasha watched her, amused by her reaction and little caught off guard by his own. Tearing his gaze from the empty doorway, he instantly straightened his spine at the look in Kim's honey eyes. Her left eye brow arched up and a smirk curled her lips.

"What," he asked, wanting to shift in his chair, but managing to smother the impulse.

Her smirk slid into a full blown grin, "If you don't know, I'm not going to waste my breath telling you." She stood from her chair, turning toward the door before swinging back around to face him. "Just so you know," Kim paused, thinking about her next words. She sighed, her resolve clearly shown on her face, "Just so you know, Summer isn't a woman that wants to be toyed with. You need to stop thinking she is. She just wants to know where she stands." Her eyes softened. "I think you do too and as much as I enjoy watching you to act like fools, I don't think she appreciates it. If you are trying to get her attention, pulling on her pigtails probably isn't the best course of action." Kim stopped, grinning slightly at him. "I'll see you later. I have a couple errands to run."

Sasha stood up as she left and thought about her advice. Summer wanted to know where she stood with him, huh... well he could show her that. The real question was could she handle it once she knew?


End file.
